In The Dark
by xXBalorBabeXx
Summary: High school should be a fun time... but how can it be whenever chaos erupts? (Prequel to Hide Me If You Dare)
1. Murder In The City

_**Late last night…**_

 _Quiet nights weren't entirely unheard of in the city, despite its reputation as the city that never sleeps… but the silence combined with the fog made Finn start to worry that whoever had gotten to the teacher in the school had gotten to Amanda too especially since she was most likely alone in the house with her parents on vacation for their anniversary and her brothers being their usual selves, out partying and unaware of their sister's safety in danger… neither of the five were aware of her wild side, it seemed._

 _Finn pulled the car over to the curb of the sidewalk outside the Cena house and got out after turning it off, running up the cobblestone path._

 _Amanda's eyes snapped open, her vision hazy in the darkened room as she heard a knock at the front door and turned the lamp on… standing up, she looked outside and saw Finn, the tiny 17 year old running to the door and letting him in._

" _What happened?!" Amanda asked, closing the door._

" _Something's happened at the school… one of the staff went missing, there's a lot of blood in the classroom." Finn answered, Amanda nearly screaming in horror._

 _Quickly getting her coat, she followed him to his car and they headed off to the school… they ducked to the side of the Altima when they saw police and FBI agents._

" _I really don't understand how this is a federal matter, Mr. Benoit." Detective Cassady said._

" _This matches a similar pattern to the disappearances in the Massachusetts area." Agent Benoit explained, Amanda knowing which case he meant._

 _She really hoped not to revisit the horror that haunted her childhood._

 _Slowly, Amanda turned to Finn and gave him a serious look._

" _Remember when I said me and my family moved here when I was about five? There was a serial killer who the cops weren't able to catch… one night in the park, I saw him with his fifth victim, small, hazel eyed brunette… next thing I knew, he had slit her throat and just left her there. I… I don't know why I stayed there, I just… I couldn't leave…" Amanda explained, Finn taking her into his arms and hugging her tightly._

 _Neither were aware of Becky watching them… but she was damn unhappy about it._

 _Finn took Amanda back to the house and stayed with her in her room even after she fell asleep… he had a feeling it would be the last night of decent sleep she would get for a while._

 _He at least hoped she would get some sleep…_

 **Present time…**

She could no longer keep her anger in and showed up at the Cena house around 9 in the morning. Becky got out of her car and stormed up the pathway, banging on the door.

"Open up! Open this fucking door!" Becky yelled before hearing footsteps hit the wooden stairs and seeing the Finn on the other side of the door.

"Rebecca, go on back home!" Finn responded, the lack of sleep catching up with him and his temper emerging… he normally wasn't so short with people in the morning despite not being a morning person but everything that had happened last night had rattled him as much as it rattled Amanda.

She had woken up in the predawn hours, frozen with pure terror when Finn found her in the kitchen downstairs and clutching a knife… he had no idea that Amanda was a sleepwalker until that moment but knew how to calm her and take the knife from her before guiding her upstairs.

At the same time, Amanda's hazel eyes opened in confusion and she rubbed her tiny hands over her face, trying to recall everything that had happened last night after Finn had brought her back home.

"Not until I set her straight!" Becky growled and shoved past Finn, running up the stairs and busting Amanda's bedroom door open as Finn followed her upstairs to try to prevent a fight.

Amanda bolted up out of the bed, still in her cold weather clothes.

"What the hell is going on?! You two are hiding something, what is it?!" Becky demanded.

"We're not hiding anything and you need to leave!" Amanda responded, grabbing Becky's arms to prevent the taller girl from hitting her. "Calm down!" She and Finn said, ironically at the same second.

But Becky didn't… the fight couldn't be prevented but Finn tried his best to pull them apart.

Unfortunately, Becky took that opportunity to kick Amanda's right ankle out from under her and Amanda was sent flying down the staircase.

It was all a blur from there as Amanda heard the blurred voices and tones of a number being dialed before slipping into unconsciousness completely.

 **Amanda's perspective…**

At some point, I opened my eyes again and jump back out of fright, Finn lightly stroking my hair.

"Shh… it's okay, Mandy, you're bruised and concussed but nothing's broken or badly injured. Scared the hell out of me when you wouldn't wake up right away." Finn said.

But what the hell happened to me?


	2. Fill In The Blanks

_**Three years earlier, Amanda's Perspective…**_

" _Hey, kid. Got a light?" I hear, turning and seeing a boy about 15 or 16._

" _I don't smoke… and neither should you with those looks." I say, both of us smirking._

" _I know, been trying to quit… damn, you are so tiny… mind if I call you by that nickname, Tiny?" He said as he eyed me._

" _Long as I have something to call you by." I respond… what the hell has gotten into me? His accent… it's just…_

" _Finn…" He replied, extending his hand and me gripping it and shaking it… before he brought my hand up to his mouth and kissed it. "So you got a name, Tiny?"_

" _Amanda." I say before we headed off from the school and out into the city… what's one day of ditching gonna do, huh?_

 _Finn and I ended up at the beach, finding a shady spot under the pier and sitting down on two lounge chairs he swiped for us._

" _Native here?" Finn asked._

" _Close… born in West Newbury, family and I moved here when I was about five. What about you?" I respond._

" _Bray, County Wicklow… beautiful in Ireland but gets too cold at times. When we settled here, that's when I decided take every opportunity I can… because you never know when it'll be taken away from you." Finn answered, startlingly bright blue eyes looking into my hazel ones. "Damn, you are so damn cute…" He said quietly, making me blush._

" _Finn!"_

" _Mandy!"_

" _Oh damn!" We both whisper, grab our backpacks and start to run._

 _When we stopped to catch our breaths, we had ended up in Big Dave's diner and were hiding behind the counter when the door opened again and Dave walked over._

" _Hey, Becky, you alright?" Dave asked… before he saw us._

" _Have you seen Finn anywhere? He was with some tiny tramp." Becky responded… not fucking cool, Becky!_

" _No, no, I haven't." Dave said convincingly, Becky leaving and Dave crouching down to us. "Whatever you two are up to, I suggest hiding for a few days." He said._

" _We haven't done anything wrong though." Finn said after covering my mouth with his hand, me lowering his hand._

" _That's not what Becky seems to think… look, just lie low, okay? Til she cools off." Dave said before guiding us to a table. "Now all that running has made you thirsty, I bet. Anything you want is on the house." He said before we sat down._

 _It's after we finish our coffee that we head out to explore the city further._

" _Sorry about that earlier… you okay?" Finn asked._

" _Yeah… you alright? For a second, I thought she would've ripped your throat out." I responded._

" _She'll calm down… at some point." Finn said as we reached the part of the city that kids really shouldn't go to._

 _But hey, live life to its fullest…_

 **Present time, Finn's perspective…**

She doesn't remember… It's clear after I've told Mandy what had happened that she has no memory of even seeing Becky today.

"What happens now?" Mandy asked, fidgeting slightly with the brace on her ankle.

"Only answer is that she and I stay away from each other… she nearly killed you." I responded, lightly rubbing Mandy's right shoulder.

The curtain opened quickly, making both of us jump… only to calm down when we see AJ.

"Damn, you two look like hell…" AJ said, both of us noticing Mandy tense up. "Hey, I ain't gonna hurt ya, Babydoll. Not now, not ever." He said reassuringly to her.

Mandy nodded and started to calm down a bit before all three of us settle into watching _Miami Vice_ ,Mandy drifting back off into sleep… I nod at AJ, who heads off to the waiting room to find the others and tell them how she is.

The ER doctors can only treat her physical injuries however… she's gonna be traumatized from this, she already is.

 **Amanda's Perspective…**

I wake up again, finding myself in a room not in the ER… or in a hospital.

I'm not even in my own room, I'm in one I don't recognise. Looking to my right, I see Finn.

"You were starting to freak out again so I took you out of there… but when we reached your home, the cops had it designated as a crime scene so I grabbed a few of your things and brought you here." Finn said, helping me sit up… I've been here before but I've only seen him. Part of me just assumed that his mom works late.

I see no lighters or cigarettes and look at him.

"Yeah… I quit it, no longer feeling the urge to smoke. Damn good feeling to breathe fully again… but you still look nervous." Finn said after sitting down.

"I can't shake off what happened… the murder and then nearly having my neck snapped." I respond, Finn pulling me into his arms and the two of us hugging… I normally bottle it all up and pretend to be okay but with Finn, I feel like I can open up about anything.

After we let go, Finn turns the radio on and we listen to the music.

 _ **We got somethin', we both know it  
We don't talk too much about it  
Ain't no real big secret all the same  
Somehow we get around it **_

_**Listen, it don't really matter to me baby**_

 _ **You believe what you want to believe**_

 _ **You see, you don't have to live like a refugee  
(Don't have to live like a refugee) **_

_**Somewhere, somehow, somebody**_

 _ **Must've kicked you around some**_

 _ **Tell me why you wanna lay there  
And revel in your abandon **_

_**Honey, it don't make no difference to me baby**_

 _ **Everybody's had to fight to be free**_

 _ **You see, you don't have to live like a refugee  
(Don't have to live like a refugee)**_

 _ **Now baby, you don't have to live like a refugee  
(Don't have to live like a refugee)**_

 _ **Baby, we ain't the first  
I'm sure a lot of other lovers been burned**_

 _ **Right now this seems real to you  
But it's one of those things  
You gotta feel to be true**_

 _ **Somewhere, somehow, somebody  
Must have kicked you around some**_

 _ **Who knows, maybe you were kidnapped  
Tied up, taken away, and held for ransom**_

 _ **Honey, it don't really matter to me, baby  
Everybody's had to fight to be free **_

_**You see you don't have to live like a refugee**_

 _ **(Don't have to live like a refugee)**_

 _ **No you don't have to live like a refugee  
(Don't have to live like a refugee)  
**_

 _ **Baby you don't have to live like a refugee  
(Don't have to live like a refugee)**_

It's a comfort for both of us, listening to this… helps us clear our minds.


End file.
